Gravity operated toy



Nov. 25, 1952 c. E. SIDNEY GRAVITY OPERATED TOY Filed March 1, 1949INVENTOR. CLAYTON E. SiDNEY a/Mwm Patented Nov. 25, 1952 UNITED STATESPATENT OFFICE GRAVITY OPERATED TOY Clayton E. Sidney, Milwaukee, Wis.

Application March 1, 1949, Serial No. 78,973

4 Claims.

This invention relates to a gravity-operated toy.

A toy embodying the present invention operates on the same generalprinciple as the toys which walk down an incline. However, it is theobject of the present invention to provide a toy which hangs by itshands from an overhead support and swings from side to side, the weightof the toy causing it to act like a pendulum to transfer its weight fromone hand to the other, and the hands and arms being so designed as to begravity-operated to advanced positions each time the hand is relieved ofthe weight of the figure.

More specific objects will appear from the following disclosure of theinvention, and reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a view in side elevation of a toy embodying the invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged view of the toy as viewed in front elevation, theoverhead support being shown in section.

Fig. 3 is a detail view fragmentarily illustrating the toy inperspective.

There is an overhead support at 4 which may take the form of a thin andrelatively narrow strip of wood having its end 5 free, and its end 6engaged in the upper end of a standard I erected on a base at 8.

The toy figure 9 has been selected, for purposes of illustration, torepresent a monkey. To induce added movement, its legs Hi, Il may bepivoted at E2 to the body 13, although the legs do not contribute to theoperation of the figure down the incline support 4.

The arms M, l5 are also pivoted at IE to the body 53. The movementpermitted the arms is desirably limited by a cross pin I! which projectsat both sides of the body to provide stop means against which the armsengage at their permissible limit of oscillation.

At least at their upper ends, the arms [4, l5 have clearance sufiicientto receive the supporting strip 4 between them. For suspending thefigure from the support, the respective arms are provided with inwardlyprojecting fingers l8, l9 resting on the upper surface of the supportingstrip 4. This surface is desirably roughened as indicated at 26 in Fig.3. The roughening need not be applied by any special machinery, it beingsufiicient merely to avoid planing the top surface of the wooden strip.

When either of the arms is relieved of the weight of the figure, ittends to fall by gravity about its fulcrum It to the full extentpermitted by the stop pin ll. This happens on each occasion when thefigure swings from side to side in pendular movement, such as occursduring the use of the toy. Figs. 1 and 3 show the toy in a positionwhere the body of the device has swung toward the observer, thusimposing the entire weight temporarily on the finger l8 of arm I4, andleaving the finger l9 free of the support t. The drawings show the armin the position to which it has dropped in consequence of being relievedof the weight of the body.

As the toy swings back away from the observer, the weight of the bodywillbe transferred to the finger 19 of arm [4, thus relieving the fingerH! of load. Since the body has its center of gravity well at the rear offinger I8, this will cause the body to move forwardly toward a positionbeneath finger [9. This immediately relieves finger l8 and lifts itabove the level of the supporting strip 4, whereupon it, in turn, willmove forwardly by reason of the gravity-induced downward movement of itsarm Hi about its pivotal connection with the body.

The resulting movement of the body is not only forward but lateralclosely simulating the movements of a person swinging from an overheadladder or other support and moving handover-hand longitudinally thereof.As the lateral swinging movement of the animal transfers the weight ofits body from one finger to the other, the high finger is relieved ofweight and swings downwardly, only to receive the weight of the bodyagain when the body swings in the opposite direction with the pendularmovement above described.

The fact that the support 4 has a free end facilitates the replacementof the toy upon the support after it has dropped from the free endthereof.

I claim:

1. The combination with an overhead support having lateral dimension anda longitudinal inclination, of a body depending from said support andprovided with laterally spaced forwardly extending arms in pivotalconnection with the body and provided with laterally projecting fingersengaged with the support at laterally offset points thereon, the bodybeing adapted for pendular lateral movement respecting the support, inthe course of which movement the fingers are alternately relieved ofweight and permitted to swing downwardly along the support to a newposition for receiving the weight of the body in the opposite pendularmovement thereof, said support having laterally spaced margins definingguide paths for the arms in their swinging movement.

2. A toy comprising the combination with a longitudinally inclinedoverhead support having lateral dimensions, of a depending figurecomprising a body beneath the support, a pair of laterally spaced armsindividually pivoted to the body for oscillatory movement with respectthereto, each of said arms extending forwardly and thence upwardly fromits pivotal connection with the body, stop means limiting theoscillation of the respective arms forwardly and downwardly about theirpivotal connections with the body, and fingers connected with therespective arms and extending oppositely over the spaced margins of theoverhead support into positions for engagement with the upper surfacethereof, the said figure being adapted for lateral pendular movementrespecting the support, in the course of which movement the fingers arealternately relieved of the weight of said body and permittedindependent oscillatory movement downwardly of said support to a newposition for receiving the weight of the body in the opposite pendularmovement thereof, said support having laterally spaced margins definingguide paths for the arms in their oscillatory movement.

3. The device of claim 2 in further combination with a base and astandard with which only one end of said overhead support is connected,the other end of said overhead support being free.

4. A toy comprising a body having laterally spaced upwardly extendingarms provided with transverse pintles upon which the arms are pivoted tothe body for front-to-rear oscillation respecting the body, the arms andbody having means limiting oscillation of the arms respecting the bodyand the body being suspended by said arms for lateral oscillationunitarily therewith, the respective arms having projecting fingersoffset laterally from each other and an overhead support having lateraldimension, the spaced margins of said support comprising mutually 01?-set paths guiding the arms in their oscillatory movement and alternatelysupporting the body as the weight of the body is transferred from onefinger to another in pendular lateral oscillation of the body respectingthe support, whereby to permit successive oscillatory forward movementof the arms along the respective paths as their respective fingers arerelieved of weight.

.bLAYTON E. SIDNEY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,007,218 Mahan Oct. 31, 19111,538,217 Sears May 19, 1925 1,579,602 Esser Apr. 6, 1926

